As we gear up for the Super Bowl, there is one event AQ Shipley savors where calories don't count and neither do penalties.
That event is Taste of the NFL.
It's where football meets flavor, where the sport’s biggest names trade playbooks for plates, and where friendships are built between bites. For AQ and Arizona’s own Chef Beau MacMillan, it has become a tradition that has followed them from city to city since 2015; a yearly rhythm of competition, creativity, and connection during the most electric week in sports.
In the spirit of Super Bowl month, we’re serving up this tasty story for you.
How many years have you and Chef Beau been part of Taste of the NFL together?
AQ: 2015 was our first year… we were together every year and absolutely remember the first year. Chef Beau did the pork belly and Brussels with his famous Dragon Sauce. It was in San Francisco.
What do you remember about the food and friendship at that time?
AQ: It was my first year doing it. Seeing all the athletes celebs and celeb chefs made it feel so big. I think it's the best event during Super Bowl Week.
Explain Taste of the NFL and why it's a special part of Super Bowl.
AQ: The event brings together a chef and an NFL player from every team city across the country. They also pair NFL legends with nationally acclaimed chefs as part of the league’s featured table, creating an atmosphere where guests mingle, sign autographs, take photos, and enjoy incredible food and drinks from some of the best chefs in the country.
Was there one meal that really bonded you and Chef Beau?
AQ: I always go back to the pork belly and Brussels with the Dragon, a staple in Chef Beau’s catalog that’s both incredibly refined and impossibly good. He also makes a mean fried chicken. I also love the bao buns he does. So good. Perfect texture, homemade pickles, sweet and spicy gochujang. Delicious.
How has cooking and sharing meals shaped your friendship over the years?
AQ: We've become lifelong friends because of our first meeting in 2015. I've seen his kids grow up and our wives share the same birthday.
From the NFL side, what’s it like trading the playbook for the prep table with a true culinary rockstar?
AQ: So awesome seeing him work. He’s super detailed and a total perfectionist with the taste, the look, the presentation, everything. Very similar to my prep in football.
Do you see a lot of NFL comrades jumping on the culinary bandwagon?
AQ: We all love to eat, so yes, I see a fair share of former teammates and friends getting into cooking and barbecue. A few of them have even been on cooking competition TV shows.
Are there other players you know who love being in the kitchen?
AQ: Jared Veldheer, a former teammate and fellow lineman when we played together with the Cardinals, loves to cook. He’s super into his food and diet and was recently selected to be on a Gordon Ramsay TV show in January.
During Taste, do you cook side-by-side during the event or does everyone naturally fall into their own lane once the crowd starts moving?
AQ: The chefs mostly do their thing while the players mingle, sign autographs, and take photos. Beau knows how much I enjoy cooking and eating, so he brings me in here and there.
Was Taste of the NFL how the two of you first connected or was there a moment where the friendship really clicked over food?
AQ: He cooked at my house for my birthday. What a day that was. I came home from an NFL OTA practice and he was standing in my living room. We cooked a feast. Lobster, udon, pork belly, Brussels, watermelon feta salad. And more. So good.
What’s a funny moment from Taste of the NFL that still makes you laugh?
AQ: We always end up hanging out late after the event. In San Fran the first year, we went to a bar, and that was when Pappy Van Winkle was really starting to blow up. We shared a fun night drinking some of the best bourbon on earth.
Is there a BTS moment that didn’t make it to social media but still sticks with you?
AQ: Robert Irvine was in town for a lunch and learn at Sanctuary when Chef Beau was there. We hung out after, then a few of us went back to his house and drank some great wine. It was a fun night, and I ended up being a little too loud and woke up his oldest son from a full sleep. Pretty funny moment.
Looking ahead, do you see yourselves teaming up again?
AQ: Absolutely. We’ve done so many events together over the years, and it’s always been so fun. I’d love to cook something up and get back to making some oldies but goodies from his bread and butter Asian American cooking style.
REFFER at the Super Bowl
If you’re heading to the Super Bowl, REFFER, co-founded by AQ and Shari Shipley alongside their co founder, allows people to discover brands, businesses, and services through curated lists from voices they already follow and believe in. During Super Bowl week, it becomes a free, powerful engine for connection through curated experiences, gifting, and Top Picks from NFL wives and partners, driving lasting visibility, referrals, and real results. ref-fer.com